#it’s IN the cyno voice line about kaveh

[neuvifuri]

Something I think is so funny that I’ve seen no one mention is the fact kaveh knew alhaitham & cyno separately before the story and they’d likely heard about eachother from him in some capacity and their first interaction is cyno attacking him.

yes!!! literally cyno is replaying every kaveh story about alhaitham in his head for the whole period of the archon quest where they don’t trust each other. when alhaitham is like “correct me if i’m wrong, but general mahamatra, you and i have barely exchanged pleasantries before this. surely i haven’t done anything to invoke your wrath,” cyno is remembering how nobody at dinner laughed at his jokes but they all laughed at kaveh’s stories about how terrible alhaitham is

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

analysing queercoding in sethos's haikaveh voice-line

(This analysis is from my Haikaveh queercoding essay found here!)

In Cyno’s Story Quest II Alhaitham and Kaveh’s progression goes unspoken by the Traveller and Paimon in comparison to previous events and quests where their relationship is questioned (which you can read here!)

This lack of mention of the visible progression of their relationship points to a secrecy that the player is not privy to, and this development is only mentioned when Cyno highlights the unlikeliness of Kaveh and Alhaitham studying together in the House of Daena

Kaveh and Alhaitham’s relationship has tangibly improved, in their dialogue with each other, their listening and comprehension of each other, and their active reliance on each other, however, a status of their relationship has still yet to be given.

With the lack of questioning from the surrounding cast, this appears to be a continual deliberate method of avoiding labelling Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship status (further discussed here). This aligns with the previous method of queercoding Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship in avoiding labels of friends, and here, it can be seen that labels such as ‘roommates’ are also avoided. This omission continues to be deliberate, and it is even more poignant due to the progression of their relationship, alongside the secrecy of what it entails and how it came about.

Sethos’ voice-line about the two highlights this to an extreme. As discussed, his voice-line is entitled ‘About Alhaitham and Kaveh’, and is the only voice-line in the game to pair together two characters when a character gives an opinion of another.

In this, Alhaitham and Kaveh are inextricably linked together - not only in being delegated a joint voice-line, but also due to Sethos’ opinion of them.

This separates them from the crowd due to an intimacy shared between the two of them. Sethos states that Kaveh is always speaking, to Alhaitham, in a low voice, as if to not let others overhear. This directly indicates a secrecy between Alhaitham and Kaveh which is not to be breached by the crowd, Sethos, and the player included, as Sethos fails to overhear anything to relate back to the player.

Sethos finishes by claiming that when Alhaitham and Kaveh are “together”, they become a different force entirely as if they were alone, as seeing them together means “you just can’t look away.”

Sethos’s voice-over creates an allusion to a secret existing between Alhaitham and Kaveh, and this secret conveys very much the essence of queercoding itself??

The two discuss something which cannot be known to the player, or someone attempting to breach the line between the public display of their relationship and that of their private relationship. This private relationship occurs outside of the player’s knowledge and pertains to the development of their relationship, along with what the two now consider the other.

The ambiguity of their relationship here only continues to point to the two’s connectedness, in that they are coupled together by an outsider. It’s interesting that rather than the personal pronoun ‘I’, Sethos uses the collective pronoun ‘you’ when referring to Alhaitham and Kaveh as a pair.

This directly addresses the player, and draws attention to the uniqueness of their relationship. Yet again, this is the same method used to purposefully cause the player to question Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship – and, just as other instances, there is no clarification.

This secret that is generated between Alhaitham and Kaveh directly equates to the idea of queercoding, as no definitive answer is given as to what exactly the secret, or intimacy, is – and this aligns with the game’s inability to confirm queer characters or relationships.

Alhaitham and Kaveh having reconciled is considered of prominent importance. This is seen in their balanced viewpoints having the power to bring about good for others, but here, it is specifically highlighted that Alhaitham and Kaveh are ‘other’. They are separate from the crowd, regardless of being surrounded, and they are perpetually in their own private sphere, despite attempting to be intruded upon by an eavesdropper.

Together, they become a unit that stands out, and yet this is contrasted by the intimacy of their togetherness. It is unknown what the two discuss, only that it is private between the two of them alone. This intimate covertness, this secrecy, in the presentation of Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship demonstrates the usage of queercoding.

As established here, this aligns with the queer taboo, in that closeted queer people live a life secret to the heteronormative public, and thus become ‘other’ in this secret part of themselves. The secrecy of Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship can correlate with the real-world negation from heteronormative bonds, found in queer relationships not accepted by the society around them.

This is seen in how the true nature of their relationship is avoided within the game, and, yet, is highlighted by several characters for the player to question. This lack of answer, as established, leaves the interpretation to the player. It appears deliberate that Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship status is constantly called into question in previous quests and events, but their relationship, when improved, goes unmentioned by the very characters that once questioned it, such as Paimon.

Yet again, Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship is styled to deliberately avoid labels, and yet, their closeness is deliberately highlighted. Along with this, the secrecy of their private life is poignant, seen in both Sethos’ voice-line and in the ambiguity of their relationship in Cyno’s Story Quest II.

With this method, the game purposefully allows for questions which ask as to the specific nature of Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship – just as it deliberately avoids giving a specific answer. Highlighting the two’s closeness, and the ambiguity of this, is an active method of queercoding.

[leeknewthat]

Btw what did you mean by Nezaah's twitter?

This.

While we're on this topic allow me to add a compilation of Shit that Nazeeh Posts on Twitter.com™ because he's a whole mood.

He really is the guy of all time.

[yandere-daydreams]

Not-So-Scary Moments With The Yan. Genshin Boys (Sumeru + Fontaine Edition).

Characters: Alhaitham, Neuvillette, Kaveh, Tighnari, Cyno, and Wriothesley.

Word Count: 2.7k.

TW: Borderline Shitposting, Prolonged Imprisonment, Varying Levels of Emotional and Physical Abuse, Codependency, Mentions of Stalking, and Unhealthy Relationships.

Alhaitham

It took Alhaitham about ten minutes to drag himself out of bed, his staggered footsteps audible through the thin walls of his apartment.

It took twenty for him to haul himself through his morning routine – water running somewhere in the distance and porcelain clattering against marble countertops as he washed his face and tried to work some life into himself. Alhaitham usually wasn’t so lethargic, but he’d had a rough week. There’d been a sudden influx of paperwork for the Akademiya’s sole scribe, and every second he didn’t spend buried under new legislation and requests for increased budging was, instead, dedicated to one of his many personal research projects. By the time he’d gotten home last night, it’d been all he could do to make sure you hadn’t starved to death and drag himself to bed.

He usually would’ve kept you waiting for a few more minutes, but an agitated grunt marked an end to his normal patterns. In a moment, he was braced against the doorway to his own study, his eyes narrowed half-hearted towards where you sat in his leather-padded chair, your feet propped on his desk. There was an book open in your lap – one of his, something about metaphysics and ley line abnormalities and how both tied into the Inazuman politics. He eyed it wearily before speaking, his voice still deep with exhaustion. “Where did you put my hearing aids?”

His tone was accusatory, his irritation visible. You put on your sweetest smile. “Where did you put my novellas?” you signed, thinking for a moment before adding, “Bitch?”

“They aren’t ‘novellas’, they’re—” He cut himself off with a scoff. “They’re filth. I don’t want you rotting your brain with smut.”

“The plots are very—”

“The plots are half-baked excuses for paper-thin characters to fondle each other in locations you can tell the author didn’t take the time to properly research and—” His gaze flickered to you, his frown deepening. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“You’ve read them?”

There was a long beat of silence.

Finally, he let out a labored sigh. “The dozen or so I couldn’t be bothered to throw away are in a cabinet underneath the kitchen sink. It’s locked – the code is your birthday. Now, where are my aids?”

“You fell asleep with them on last night,” you said aloud, abandoning his glorified textbook and pushing yourself to your feet. His hand shot to the side of his head, finding the metallic cuff only slightly displaced by having spent the better half of the night on his head. As you passed him, you paused, pressing a kiss into the corner of his scowl and pretending to ignore the muffled groan he let out in response.

Neuvillette

Of all the sights you thought you might see after arriving in your wonderous new nation, the Iudex of Fontaine standing over your drained bathtub with a look of potent remorse written across his expression was not one of them.

You’d imagined yourself strolling through the walls of the Opera Epiclese in vivid detail, been able to picture exactly what you might’ve seen standing below the Tower of Ipsissimus or above the bottomless pit that was the entrance to the Fortress of Meropide, but even after you’d found yourself in the smothering care of Monsieur Neuvillette, you never would’ve been able to conjure this sight. He usually insisted that you bathe together, going so far as to have an in-ground tub that could’ve easily been mistaken for a hot spring installed in his (until recently neglected) personal residence to better indulge the habit. Thankfully, the trial he’d been presiding over had run long today, and you’d been able to save yourself an hour of his calloused hands running over your body, of his eyes burning into your skin with a nearly inhuman focus. You knew he’d be disappointed. Irate, even, depending on how his trial swung.

You hadn’t expected him to be so… sulky about it.

Half-lidded eyes, a slight pout tugging at the corner of his lips as he lingered idly in the doorway between your shared bedroom and the in-suite bathroom. Steam and silence laid heavy in the air – the latter you were eventually forced to break as you fiddled with the hem of your robe. “I’m sorry,” you muttered, hoping more to break the tension than to make him think you were genuinely apologetic. “It was getting late, and I didn’t know when you were coming home. I didn’t think you’d take it so personally.” When he didn’t respond, you braced yourself for the worst. “If you’re angry, please say so. I… I’d rather get this over with now, if it’s all the same to you.”

His expression softened. He let out an airy sigh and, with only a moment of hesitation, closed the space between you. “I’m not angry.” A pair of lean arms wrapped around your waist, his face soon buried in the crook of your neck. You heard him inhale, and did what you could to suppress the shudder that ran up your spine at the thought of him basking in your scent. “I’ve just been… looking forward to it, I suppose. Your taste relaxes me.”

Immediately, you went rigid. “My… taste?”

“Mhm.”

“Neuvillette,” you started, very slowly, giving your own mind time to catch up to the dread slowly building in the pit of your stomach. “Have you been drinking my bathwater?”

He was quiet for a not inconsiderable amount of time.

Finally, he pulled away from you just far enough to speak. “…no?”

For your own sake, you decided to believe him.

Kaveh

“Kaveh.”

“Not now, treasure.”

“Go to bed.”

“I will, in another hour.”

“You need to get some sleep.”

“I’ve already told you – I’m fine.” He narrowed his eyes, expression contorted by concentration. “Knight to B4.”

“Kaveh,” you repeated, leaning across the table. “You were showing me your blueprints.”

“Oh.” He blinked several times, looking over the sheet of blue paper marked with chalk drawings and near indecipherable hand-writing. “Were you impressed?”

Your frown irked, but you swallowed back your exasperation and pushed yourself to your feet. Slowly, you took him by the hand and, when he failed to protest, guided him out of his own seat and towards the room you were usually restrained to, when he wasn’t home. He’d kept himself awake for the past two nights, every moment of the past forty-eight hours devoted to finishing his proposal for a wealthy commissioner’s summer mansion before its upcoming deadline and, now that the coffee had been drained from his system and his adrenaline had been given time to fade, he was practically a shell of a man – all dark circles and hunched posture and disheveled blonde hair.

Sleep deprivation was, by far, the worst thing he could inflict on himself. At least he was happy after he drunk himself into oblivion. This was just depressing; as miserable for him as it was for you.

With a dutifulness you shouldn’t have had to show to your lover-turned-stalker-turned-captor, you brought him to his bed and watched as he collapsed onto it, what little strength he had to hold himself up immediately dissolving. With a sigh, a roll of your eyes, you turned to leave, but a hand lashed out from the crumpled heap and caught you by the wrist. “Stay with me?” His voice was muffled by layers of sheets and blankets, but clear enough. “Please?”

Usually, his bids for affection were met with bitter neutrality or, on your worse days, spiteful condensation. Usually, you would’ve torn yourself out of his hold and made sure he knew that he’d ruined any chance of living out his little domestic fantasy the second he decided his obsession was worth more than your happiness. Usually, you would’ve hated him that much more for daring to ask.

But, he could barely hold his eyes open and when you failed to immediately recoil, the sloppiest, most lovesick smile you’d ever seen plastered itself across his lips. It was his turn to pull you forward, this time; to drag you onto his bed and into his chest. With a satisfied sigh, he slotted his chin against the dip of your shoulder and draped his arms around your waist – an old position. A relic of better times you’d never been strong enough to completely dicard. “When it’s time to draw up the plans for our home,” he mumbled, only half-audible. “I won’t so much as breathe until its perfect.”

You opened your mouth, but didn’t say anything.

He’d already fallen asleep.

Tighnari

He glanced once at the thick packet of ink-marked parchment you’d slammed in front of him before looking back to you, his expression disparaging. “And this is supposed to be…?”

“A custody agreement,” you answered, grinning. “Alhaitham put it together during his last visit.”

“We don’t have any kids.”

“It’s for Collei. If I ever leave you,” and, to be clear, you would be leaving him, as soon as you figured out how to get away from a man who poisoned your tea whenever you so much as suggested entertaining a future that didn’t include him, “I want weekends and summers.”

“She’s nineteen.”

“Which is why we’re letting her pick who she wants to spend holidays with.” You tapped the front page with your knuckles. “Honestly, dear, if you weren’t going to so much as read the documents, we could’ve scheduled this for another day.”

His ears twitched, his tail sweeping across the floor in irritation. “Even if this was legally binding – which, by the way, something assembled by a scribe would not be – I would never give you weekends. That’d be too much travelling for a girl in her condition, and I don’t want her to feel like she comes from a broken home. Moreover, according to Regulation #531 as passed by the Grand Sage last year, you would have to get Collei’s signature before—”

“Check page twenty-seven.”

You watched him scowl as he thumbed through the pages. A second later, his ears flattened against his scalp, and he took to muttering under his breath. “Traitor.”

“If you don’t want your aggression towards the dependent party used against you in court, I’d suggest you sign on page four, seventeen, and thirty-two.”

You left his villa half an hour later with a with a new imprint of his fangs on the side of your throat and a signed document in-hand.

Cyno

“You have kidnapped me.”

“Technically, I was only—”

“You’ve blackmailed me, imprisoned me, and tortured me.”

“You can’t still be hung up on—”

“You’ve branded me with your name, forced me into your bed, and made me play out all your delusional, fucked-up fantasies—” You took a deep breath, pursed your lips. “—but if you show up to a black-tie event wearing that, it will be the worst thing you’ve ever done to me.”

He looked down, as if considering his attire for the first time. He was in his usual uniform – which was to say, shirtless and barefoot, his hair windblown and a fine layer of sand still coating what little he was wearing. You could only be thankful his polearm wasn’t slung across his back, but you knew he’d make it past the door without it. “The way I dress has never been a problem before.”

“There’s a difference between hunting down rouge scholars and going to a banquet being held by a literal god. Archons, Lesser Lord Kusanali herself might be there.” You gasped, dragged your hands over your face. “Everyone who’s ever gone to the Akademiya will absolutely be there.”

For all his many faults, he could never stand to see you in pain. There was a brief delay, a moment of unsure shuffling, then his arms were wrapping around you, his chest slotting against your back has he pulled you against him. “It’ll be alright,” he muttered, speaking into your shoulder. “If anyone so much as attempts to insult you—no, if anyone tries to talk to you at all, I’ll strike them down in the blink of an eyes.”

His comfort was stale, but you forced yourself to relax. At least enough to speak. “You know,” you mumbled, letting your hands drift to your temples. “Dehya was hired by an up-and-coming scholar, a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how long her contract was, but there’s a chance we’ll see her tonight.”

There was a beat of silence, then another.

“Cyno?”

“I’ll change.”

Wriothesley

You could hear him trudging up the metallic stairs to his office; his footsteps heavy enough to drown out the soft music flowing out of his century-old gramophone. His head emerged from the curving staircase, first – his hair somehow more disheveled than its usual state of barely-tamed chaos – then his chest, his tie undone and his collar terribly mangled, as if he’d spent all day indulging the worst of his nervous habits. He was baring his teeth, his pale cheeks flushed with anger and his eyes narrowed into a pointed glare. It wasn’t quite the reaction you’d hoped for (in your wildest dreams, he would’ve managed to sink his beloved fortress before he ever reached you), but it was close enough.

You moved to stand, to greet him with the warm embrace he usually demanded, but he was already in front of you, already pinning you to the back of the lounge you’d been splayed across with a single fist planted less than a hair’s width above your shoulder. “You,” he growled, leaning in close enough for his breath to fan over your skin. “Do you know how many journalistsI had to deal with today? They were everywhere. I couldn’t go a step without tripping over some— over some glorified tabloid.”

“So, your meeting with Monsieur Neuvillette went well?” His scowl deepened, and you let out your most faux innocent laugh – a chiming, bubbling thing he’d never been able to stand. “You shouldn’t scowl like that, love. All those photographers will have to find a new model if you manage to give yourself frown lines.”

He jolted, but forced himself to shut his eyes, to let out a long, ragged breath. When he did face you again, he’d regained a degree of his composure – just enough to meet your smile with his own tight-lipped grin, more teeth than anything. “I’ll let you off easy if you tell me how you did it now. Before I decide it’d be faster to strangle an explanation out of you.”

“I didn’t break any rules, if that’s what you’re worried about.” You paused, folded your hands over your lap. “It was all thanks to our great and benevolent duke. Contacting people outside of the fortress has gotten so much more efficient ever since you decided prisoners should be able to send letters without administrative vetting.”

He buckled visibly, his shoulders falling as he lean towards you, his face soon buried in the dip of your shoulder. “You’re gonna be the death of me, sweetheart.” There was a raspy chuckle, a hand on your thigh, squeezing just hard enough for his anger to shine through the playfulness of the gesture. “I think I’ve earned the rest of the day off, and I think you’ve earned—”

The door to his office swung open before he could finish, a masculine voice calling up from the voice below only a moment later. “Your grace, t-there’s a reporter here to see you! She says she’s been told not to leave until she speaks to your partner!”

“That’ll be Charlotte,” you half-sung. “She seemed like such a nice girl in her letters. It’d be a shame to keep her waiting.”

When he failed to answer, you brought up both hands and cupped his face, cooing as you used your thumbs to quirk the corners of his mouth upward.

“Just remember to smile for the camera this time, alright?”

[lyneira]

♡ when you try to flirt with them ♡

-> how the genshin men would react when you attempt to flirt with them

suggestive!

lyneira's 1.2k milestone event

MEGA SIMP

Thoma, Kaveh, Gorou, Itto, Venti

You'll have them sweating bullets, at the edge of their seat, heart racing, and blushing furiously as they endure your flirting and teasing. Despite that, they are absolutely LIVING for your flirting. They're not gonna admit it aloud (not yet at least) but they want ALL of the affection, love, and teasing you're giving them.

In this state, you can ask him for anything and he'd obey. Heck, ask for the world and he'll give it to you because this guy is ENRAPTURED by you. Bro is just so excited and eager about the way you're treating him

Like lowkey, if you were to tell him the numerous things you'd do to tease him, get close to him, and ask, "Would you like all that, hm?~", he's going to take a sharp inhale and breathe out a soft, "yes please" before he combusts right then and there

Embarrassed

Xiao, Scaramouche, Diluc

Will probably hit you with a tsundere-ish, "What are you talking about baka...?!" in response to any smooth line you tell them, or a "Quit with that foolishness" when you try to flirtatiously put your hand on theirs.

Yes, he's going to tell you to stop, but it won't be very convincing with the shakiness in his voice and the vibrant blush that he's desperately trying to hide on his face. He's just feeling a mix of emotions right now, y’know? You're getting them all hot and bothered but they wouldn't dare admit that they're succumbing to your tactics.

They're playing hard to get because truly, you've easily got a hold of their heart and in actuality, it was him who wanted to be the one to catch yours first.

Cuts to the chase

Alhaitham, Dainsleif, Cyno

Like the previous dudes, they're also gonna ask you what you were doing, but would be serious about it instead. These guys don't like beating around the bush and your flirting is going nowhere, so he's going to interrupt you and make you cut to the chase. He'll do so by kabedon-ing you, slamming one hand against the wall which makes you yelp in surprise.

"If you want something, why not ask me directly?", he leans down, towering over your frame and lifts your chin gently with a finger, "I won't bite...unless you want me to"

Amused

Ayato, Baizhu, Kaeya, Childe, Heizou

As you flirt with them, they'll simply have a smile on their face, both pleased and amused that you have the guts to do so. Trying to seduce the flirt, eh? They find it all terribly cute. Yet, they won't say or initiate much up until they've seen you slowly lose your drive to continue flirting (due to their lack of response to your attempts)

"Is that all you've got, y/n? Don't get me wrong, all of this pleases me, but...", he places his hands on your hips and brings them closer to his own as he leans in close to your ear and huskily whispers, "...let me show you how it's really done" ;)

Would be a sweetheart

Zhongli, Kazuha, Tighnari, Albedo

Will look at you with such tenderness in his gaze, happy about your sentiments toward him. They'd also blush lightly at certain antics that you'd pull, but they overall have a better tolerance to your flirting in comparison to the mega simps and those who get embarrassed. They're too wrapped up in the thought that you admired him and held these feelings for them to get so flustered.

When you compliment him seductively, he'll chuckle softly and smile, "I'm fortunate that you think of me that way", he'll then caress your cheek with the knuckle of his index finger slowly and lightly before bringing it up to your lips and replacing it with the pad of his thumb, "I feel the same for you", he'd finish saying while rubbing small circles on your lower lip. Y'all should kiss already

© 2023 lyneira. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, PLAGIARIZE, OR REPOST MY WRITING ONTO OTHER PLATFORMS

[akutasoda]

Oh? Well in that case, might as well get in line. Ahem Requesting Cyno x Reader(Originally I would go for F!Rrader, but u can do gn if u want) reader doesn't fear Cyno for some reason despite hearing what he's capable of, The Scary General Mahamatra being ruthless and stuff. As people would usually avoid his gaze but to Reader. Reader finds his Stern gaze attractive, his scary appearance, his voice... she admires. Let's just say his dangerous aura gives her the thrill, and Reader would try to romance him, wanting to go out with him. Like giving flowers and wanting to get closer to him. Reader's eyes was pure of nothing but adoration. You can write this in Headcanons if u want. I just wanna see what Cyno would do when he have someone who actually had a crush on him >:}

you don't know what a crush is?

synopsis - he was always used to people avoiding and fearing him, so he never could recognise the signs

includes - cyno

warnings - gn!reader, oblivious cyno, fluff, slight crack(?), wc - 635

the general mahamatra.

someone the everyday akademiya goer often never saw only ever hearing about him through stories. most people only ever encountered him if he was fulfilling his duties, those that were honest and followed the rules rarely ever saw him. even if they did happen to come across cyno they would slink away silently and avoid him.

and cyno didn't mind. the average person in the akademiya's opinion doesn't matter to him, they're behavior isn't of his concern - well that was until they did something that required cyno to do his job.

his position didn't exactly make him popular, but he never cared. cyno didn't do it for popularity. he had those who he cared about and the rest were just people in his eyes. so that's why he never really recognised you at first.

you who had seen cyno in passing glances across the akademiya and immediately become entranced. from his appearance to the way he presented himself made something inside you stir, your heart racing and your mind blocking out everyone around you. of course you recognised him, you had heard the hushed rumors and complaints of the man.

but how could they accuse that stunning man of anything?

cyno was completely oblivious of how you looked at him. he was so used to people avoiding his gaze entirely that when you two locked eyes accidentally, he passed it off as you zoning out or a complete accident - but if so, why did you never immediately look away like everyone else?

or he was, until you become more direct and confident with your approaches. waving or smiling at him or the rare occasions you saw him around sumeru, approaching him for conversation, or even inviting him to hang out.

cyno didn't quite understand your sudden interest in him and he did find it rather confusing but he wasn't exactly denying your request to spend time with him. everyone that knew cyno well enough could see the signs and would gawk at how oblivious cyno was.

even when you started giving him gifts, he passed it as a token of wanting a closer friendship. cyno wasn't far off with that assumption but it wasn't just a close friendship you were hoping for.

all the longing stares and undivided attention toward cyno went completely misinterpreted by him. he couldn't wrap his head around the idea and so he didn't acknowledge that possibility. you never minded that he missed the admiration in your eyes - you knew why he let those things go unnoticed.

his friends couldn't bear the sight of cyno being completely oblivious to your intentions per se. they, mainly kaveh, tried expressing the idea to him hoping that he got his head round it and confronted you about it.

but cyno didn't see it that way. there was no way you had a crush on him. he had been completely and utterly desensitized to the idea of love. surely this was just a joke? at his expense no doubt but he could forgive them for it.

it wouldn't take you long to realize that an extremely direct approach was needed - asking him out directly.

but even then you realized he took it platonically. you had a lot of work to do..

taglist - @little-miss-chaoss, @frankiesteinn

[catwhispers0]

✧༝┉˚*❋ Silly Pickup Lines ❋*˚┉༝✧

Featuring - 

Cyno, Al Haitham, Tighnari, Kaveh, Zhongli, Xiao, Scaramouche, Neuvillette, Wriothesley

gn reader - pronouns: you/your

Tw and authors note - might be a lil suggestive for some lines, i dont play genshin 😭😭 so if any of the characters are kinda goofy its cause im too poor for that game, ooc, bad grammar 😬 VERY LIGHTLY EDITED, annoying reader lol

minors shoo shoo as always

✧༝┉˚*❋ Cyno ❋*˚┉༝✧

“do you believe in love at first sight, or should i walk by again?”

finally, its my time to shine

“do you have a bandaid? because i scraped my knee falling for you.”

“are you a time traveler? because i see you in my future.”

“if we were socks, we would make a great pair.”

if anyone were nearby, they would be gone now. you would surely attract a crowd of people who appreciated the little pickup line competition more, if you werent in the middle of a library. 

“are you a loan? because youve got my interest.”

“if you were a vegetable, youd be a cute-cumber.”

that was the breaking point of the poor librarian, who hoped you two would just stop on your own. but nothing could stop you before you could fluster cyno, and he could go all day and night before he would fluster you. 

so, yea, yall got kicked out of the library, but at what cost? honestly, yall never stopped throwing terrible pickups at each other, much to the pain and disappointment of anyone around you (cough tighnari cough).

but depending on your strength against cynos charms, you may last either forever, or give cyno a new hobby of flustering you whenever and wherever he could.

✧༝┉˚*❋ Al Haitham ❋*˚┉༝✧

“do you have a name, or can i just call you mine?”

Al haitham just looked up from his book, confused. 

“i have a name, did you really forget it?”

well this was odd, he thought you were smarter than this. forgetting his name, really?? of all the things you could forget, his name was one of the most, no, THE most offensive one. 

maybe you tripped and hit your head on the way in. he didnt think you were the smartest person in sumeru, but surely you werent stupid enough to forget the scribes name. 

“no, i know your name, but can i call you mine?”

he somehow found a way to look even more confused. ‘can i call you mine’ who is ‘mine’?? oh. wait. mine!! 

by the time he finally realized, you walked away with a cheeky grin. he was left in the dust, flustered. and to think he thought you were dumb. 

now, how was he going to work for the rest of the day?

✧༝┉˚*❋ Tighnari ❋*˚┉༝✧

“arent you tired of running through my mind all day?”

he put his head in his hands in defeat, dropping the papers he was working on. with his ears flat against his head, he groaned. 

“...are you ok nari?” 

“no.”

“...”

after a moment, he looked up at you. he had a disappointed, dead-panned expression. his ears were still flat and he just stared at you, ridiculing you in awkward silence. 

he thought he would only have to deal with one idiot in a life time. why were you so..? annoying? no, thats not it. alluring? maybe… he didnt understand how through all of the shenanigans you pull him through, all the terrible jokes and one liners, youve sill managed to capture his heart and let him keep you around. so yea, alluring.

“... do you wanna hear another one?”

*sigh* “sure, but only if its good.”

his reluctance was apparent in his voice, but the agreement was a good sign. 

you gave it a beat of time to dig through your head for a clever one that would sweep tighnari off his feet. 

“i think i need to see an optometrist, because i cant keep my eyes off of you~.”

“...”

“...” “get out.”

“...ok”

✧༝┉˚*❋ Kaveh ❋*˚┉༝✧

“i must be in a museum, because youre a work of art.”

The architect nearly chokes on his drink and spits it out. you scramble to help him out of concern though there was little you could do in the first place. 

so pat him on the back awkwardly as he endeavors his coughing fit. sometime through the hacking, you notice it has shifted to laughter. 

“what are you laughing about?? are you ok??”

“-yea, im fine, you are just too cute! you caught me off guard.” 

with this, he picked you cheek adoringly. you gave him an incredulous look, this man really choked on his drink and now he demeans you? absolutely not. 

you turn on your heel and walk away after giving him a look of a mix of disappointment and exasperation. 

he follows quickly after to try and pester you for the rest of the day on ‘how adorable you are’.

✧༝┉˚*❋ Zhongli ❋*˚┉༝✧

“are you a geo user, because you rock my world! *wink*”

a small smile and a giggle does little to hide his growing flush. he looks away for a moment, letting your words settle in the air. 

why did you have to be so cute? and you look at him expectantly - waiting for a reaction. you didnt think he would fall that easily, hm?

-though, he does appreciate a challenge. 

sure, hes heard plenty of one-liners in his time, most when and about his dragon or archon forms. but he didnt expect you to exchange one with him, he doesnt know what to do or how to feel. 

“you are something, my dear. are you hungry? its about time for my lunch break, i thought you wouldnt mind the offer, seeing as you seem to want to sweep me away so badly.”

“something?” 

what was that supposed to mean? a good something or a bad something? his reaction did little to answer, but you took him up on his offer. maybe tomorrow you would get him. 

gotta keep that old man on his toes afterall. 

✧༝┉˚*❋ Xiao ❋*˚┉༝✧

“are you an adeptus, because youve reached a depth of my heart.”

at first, Xiao thought it was some adepti pun, but as the day went on, he wasnt so sure. 

it had become such an issue, the yaksha had began pacing around with his finger to his chin and a furrowed brow. 

he was overthinking it, he knew that, but he needed to know what it meant to be in a “depth of your heart”. did you mean it as friendly dialogue? or was there something more…? 

was this a sign? a hint? a clue? a puzzle? he didnt know. how could you do this to him, what is he supposed to make of this?

could you have put him in a depth of your heart that noone else was? Perhaps it was wishful thinking. archons, why were mortals so complicated?! 

by the time he had worked himself up to confront you about the issue that plagued his heart, the sun set and the stars had risen. 

‘maybe tomorrow then, ill let you rest for now.’ he thought as he watched you sleep peacefully, protected. 

✧༝┉˚*❋ Scaramouche ❋*˚┉༝✧

“im not a photographer, but i can picture us together.”

*silence*

“scara?”

“no.”

“what?”

“no, you are not doing this.”

aaaand he walks away…

as much as you try to talk to him after that, he avoids you. it doesnt last long though, maybe 2-3 days. 

still, not very nice. you knew he wasnt the best person in the communication department, but wow.

anytime you tried to bring it up, he would shoot it down or avoid confrontation. 

how nice would it be if he would just tell you if he was uncomfortable with teasing like that? 

with all the teasing he makes you go through, you would think he could endure some himself. maybe he wasnt used to it though, or maybe you connection with him didnt abide by the rules of hypocracy. 

maybe you should shun him back? a taste of his own medicine. 

so thats how you ended up with indigo eyes piercing into you soul. as soon as you gave him any hint of a cold shoulder, his disappeared. 

hes a stubborn man, he wont just go talk to you like a normal person. and all this over a cheesy pickup line. 

its more than that though, the way he treats you is much more that what he can handle himself. be gentle on him, he doesnt know these things. 

he doesnt know this feeling that arises every time he looks at you, when you say his name in that pretty voice of yours, the faces and reactions you make that are too precious for anyone else to see. 

so when you hit him with a one-liner, maybe the feeling is too unbearable for the guy. 

go reassure him, he needs it. 

✧༝┉˚*❋ Neuvillette ❋*˚┉༝✧

“your lips look lonely, can mine keep them company?”

Neuvillette nearly dies on the spot. this is the most romantic gesture hes ever heard of - he loves poetry, you know.

“why of course, my love.”

okay

okay, you just kissed the chief justice of fontaine. wow wow wow cool cool okay dont freak out. 

his face is still so close to yours - hairs away. his eyes meet yours, full of love and adoration. 

his lips are still parted, you can feel his breath against your lips. 

they were soft and gentle. would he mind if you went in for another? surely not..?

and just amd you closed your eyes, they were startled open. a melusine opened the door and interrupted your moment. 

oh well, how could you be mad when the look neuvillette snuck you screamed 'meet me again and we can pick up where we left off'.

✧༝┉˚*❋ Wriothesley ❋*˚┉༝✧

“you should lock yourself up, ya know, stealing is prohibited. “

he plays along immediately, smiling, but doesnt lift his eyes from his paperwork. 

“and i am so very sorry for your lunch, perhaps you could let me go with a fine, my generous love?”

your lunch? oh, hes gonna pay for this! you didnt even know about it until now, too! 

“my lunch?! what did you do to it?!” 

he looks up finally. 

“you dont know? oh well never mind dont think about it, love. its for… the better…”

how mysterious. if you could deadpan him harder, you would. 

“...so, what else did i steal?”

the audacity.

“well if you have to know, it was going to be cute and romantic, i was going to say you stole my heart but you can just give it right back, along with your lunch.”

and you walk away, off to check where you put your food. 

some wishful thinking said that he was just joking for a bit, but knowing him, you cant always be sure…

---------

if u want any other characters, drop a request in my mail/ask box ❤️❤️

[yuoimia]

FLY ME TO THE MOON

summary: you ask them to fly you to the moon.

characters: aether, albedo, alhaitham, ayato, baizhu, childe, cyno, diluc, heizou, itto, kaeya, kaveh, kazuha, thoma, tighnari, wanderer, xiao, zhongli.

cw: gn! reader, not proofread.

stares blankly - aether, heizou, zhongli, albedo.

bombarding them with odd questions never ceases to render them completely speechless, despite the countless times you have. their intelligence flies out the nearest window. and this particular one, asked so nonchalantly, so casually, like an enquiry about the weather, a generous minute is needed to recover. to blink away the confusion, and sneakily observe you. do you seem serious? or are they just the victim of your usual dosage of self-indulgent teasing? sometimes distinguishing the difference is harder than the question itself.

“hey, could you please fly me to the moon?”

“…”

hands you some cheese - childe, cyno, itto, diluc

thinks they’re very funny. absolutely hilarious. they can’t even hide the muffled sniggers as they look into your face of disbelief, cheese dangling in your hand where it was placed. cheese? of all possible answers, you were given a block of cheese. and their face, an annoyingly smug grin plastered onto it, almost makes you want to shove the piece of cheese right into their mouth. you were expecting some romantic answer, complimented with some cute gestures, but no. all you received was some smelly piece of camembert.

“cheese?”

“yes, camembert.”

“…do you get it? well, it’s because-“

“the couch looks nice, doesn’t it?”

“how about we watch it together instead?” - kaveh, kazuha, thoma, baizhu

smiles whilst answering. kind as ever, they’re willing to do the next closest thing. if they can’t fly you to the moon, they dearly hope watching it with you will be just as enjoyable.

when you explain it was just a joke, that you weren’t serious about being flown to the moon, they softly laugh and reply with something along the lines of just wanting you to be happy. your happiness is their happiness, they will always try their best for you. so sometimes, it makes you wonder how someone could be so infinitely loving and beautiful.

“keep on dreaming” - wanderer, xiao

meanies who understand the joke but takes it seriously (to purposely rile you up ??) in all honesty, they would 100% take you to the moon and back a thousand times if they could. they tend hide the depths of their love under sentences that have double-sided meanings. all dreams must come to an end, don’t they? something (or someone) will have to wake you up. they know they can’t fly you to the moon, but that doesn’t stop them from doing something just as miraculously sweet.

“what a crazy mind you have” - al haitham, tighnari, ayato, kaeya

secretly amused. despite having a disapproving tone in their voice, their face and mannerisms tells a different story. your creativity with these questions get his mind thinking into overdrive, as he tries to come up with a reply just as smooth and unforeseen. but today, they settle with a comment on your thought process. (affectionately and jokingly, of course.)

“i was thinking… could you fly me to the moon?”

“what a crazy mind you have.”

“so that’s a no?”

“when you do find a way to fly to the moon, tell me.”

he does want to fly you to the moon <3

© ayaboba. do not copy, modify or translate in any way.

[burnedwriter]

Sitting on their face sumeru men special!

A/n:im finally done with college assignments,now i can regularly upload again

warnings:smut,face sitting,overstim,mild dirty talking,afab reader but with no specific pronounce,grinding,face riding,spanking,ass groping

MDNI!

🌱Alhaitham

🌱When you told alhaitham what you wanted, he was sitting on the couche reading a book as always.His reaction to what you wanted was him dramaticly lowering his book and looking at you dead in the eyes for a few seconds.

🌱Making you freeze in place,thinking that he may didnt like that and wanted to find a nice way to say it to you until....

🌱‘‘alright come here’‘he said signaling you with his pointer and middle finger to come closer to him as he puts his book on the table nearby and out of the way.

🌱Alhaitham laid on the couch with your thighs in either side of his head.He might not be very talkative and speak when necessary but sure as hell he knew how to use his tongue.slurping and sucking on your juices as he moved his tongue up and down from the top to the buttom and vise versa.

‘‘fuck Alhaitham~’‘letting out a breathy moan,digging your nails into the couch

his tongue skillfully moved to all the right places making you grind your hips against his face.Alhaitham took notice of your actions.

‘‘that’s it grind against my face”he said his voice muffled,his command sending electricity down to your core as you started to move your hips into a more frantic pace.You werent scared of losing your balance as alhaitham’s strong hands locked you in place.His tongue matching the pace of your grinding,this time focusing more on  your clit.Alhaitham put his hands on your ass helping you as he gave your ass a squeeze,pushing you closer to the finish line

‘‘im coming im coming~’‘you screamed out feeling overwhelmed by the pleasure,throwing your head back,as you lost all thoughts as you came all over his mouth.

🏛kaveh

🏛when you approach the man was when he was doing one of his maquettes

🏛you wanted to do something more than just your usual foreplay plus it was a good opportunity since he has been very stressed lately.

🏛when you told him what you wanted,kaveh was a blushing mess and nearly dropped his project on the ground.Stuttering over his words as he scratched the back of his neck as he asked you ‘’are you sure’’making sure to get your consent before proceeding.

🏛kaveh is a messy eater ,his mouth coated with your juices trying his best to pleasure you.You could hear him whimper underneath you eye full of euphoria as you looked down at him.kaveh eating you out like you were the lat meal on teyvat.You could see how  much he enjoyed it as his eyes shined.

Giving you broad licks with his tongue with everything he did kavveh always looked up at you waiting to see your reaction and waiting for a praise that came often from your lips.

Kaveh picked up the pace of his tongue pushing you close to your climax.

‘‘kaveh kaveh kaveh~’‘you moaned out his name repeatedly showing him that you were going to finish at any moments.

With that kaveh started to draw circles with his tongue on your swollen clit snapping the pool of his that has formmed in your lower abdomen and finishing all over kaveh’s mouth

Kaveh drowning in your nectar trying his best to drink all of it up without letting one drop escape from his mouth

⚖cyno

⚖cyno is always away doing his duties

⚖so when he came home and you told him about it,he looked at you with his usual emotionless gaze,it almost scared you for a bit thinking you did something wrong even though you didnt know what.

⚖But what you didnt expect was him rushing towards you grabbing you by the arm with no second thought and dragged you towards your share bedroom.

⚖Cyno takes his time with you,biting on your inner thigh as he grows closer to your cunt,his hot breath teasing you softly,feeling desperate you wanted him to just put his mouth already.

‘‘cyno please just....’‘you begged him to stop this excruciating teasing.

‘‘shhh’‘cyno shed you,’‘let me enjoy this’‘he continued his phrase before finally putting his mouth on your cunt,sending shivers down your spine at the sudden contact of his warm muscle.

‘‘cyno~’‘you moaned gripping into the headboard of the bed.Your breathing becoming heavier and more dragged out.He unhooked his hands from your thighs and reached for your chest,gropping your breast as his pointer and middle finger gave a pinch in your harden nipple sending a shockwave of pleasure through your body,making you arch your back.

Coating his tongue with your juices as he pushed his tongue slowly inside of you,spreading your walls lightly.

‘‘Ah~Cyno’‘you whimpered as you started to subconsiously ride his tongue.Cyno moved his tongue in and out matching  your quick pace and helping you reach your orgasm.

Rising yourself before lowering yourself one last time, finally reaching your climax as you leaned forward on theheadboard putting all yourweight as you tred to come down from your high.

💨😒scara

💨😒scara was hesitant at first when you told him,but you couldnt quite put your finger on it as to why he was so hesitant.

💨😒After chasing him for weeks trying to convice him ,he finally caved in

💨😒he scoffed looking at you and replying with what you said to him with a ‘’do you want to do this that bad?’’ 

💨😒‘‘isn’t this what you wanted?’‘ scara teased

You were about to reach your second oorgasm of the night and scara was not even close to stoping.Your body shook violently as you felt overstimulated,making you jolt and twitch forward earning an angry remark from scara.

‘‘stop moving’‘he said,giving you a strong smack at your ass,feeling irritated by your constant moving.

Scara continued to eat you out focusing on your already puffy and overstimulated clit.All you could do was let out choked moans as scara pushed you closer to your climax yet again

‘‘scara i’m close’‘your voice hoarse and shaky from all the screaming you did earlier.

Scara licked your slit up and down,your mind went blank as your body shook greeting another orgasm as you finish all over scara’s mouth.You expected him to be satisfied after your two orgasms but when you tried to get off of him,his hands were still wrapped around your thighs with the same firm grip

‘‘Where do you think you are going eh?’‘

[lowkeyren]

Hii I hope I'm not intruding, but I was overcome with the urge to rant after I read your alhaitham childhood sweetheart fic. Truly amazing piece of work. Genuinely, my jaw is hanging. I had to clutch my heart in fear it would grow legs and leap out of my chest. Was absolutely swooning.

Anyways. I just wanted to say how Fanfiction is one of the best things to ever exist in this world. It has the potential to ruin and destroy but also heal and fulfill. And I can't appreciate artists enough in this regard because they bring to life, life. If that makes sense. They color a black and white world. They fill the heart with so much imagination and instill so much hope. Love exists because of their creative liberty. And the way writers incorporate all these seemingly minor details to a character just builds them in a light we either yearn for or relate to. I'm rambling this off to you solely because of how much I love alhaitham and how much your fic truly brought me to life. It was insanely well written in my eyes. I loved alhaithams portrayal. I loved the idea.

You captured it so well that i could taste the sweetness of a sweet on my tongue. Oooh and that little moment with alhaitham, cyno, nari and kaveh left me grinning so hard. LIKE I LOVE THE DIALOGUE. nothing too wow or dramatic but it fits and flows o well together with the characters and the story. oh lord and when alhaitham meets us at the end. I'm in love with the way he loves us. [without waiting for an answer, you decide to indulge him, linking your pinky with his. as your thumbs briefly touch, you catch the look in his eyes —serious, yet with a softness that makes your heart skip. “a promise that i’ll be by your side as long as sugar tastes sweet,” he says, his voice low and sincere.] This needs to be framed and hung on my wall. AS LONG AS SUGAR TASTES SWEET? GET OUT OF HERE. adorable. Heart twisting, gut wrenching. I'm rolling on the dirt floor crying. And then u have him say ["so come back with me"]

I'm in a romantic mood. I'll go cry about this. Not getting over it ever. You're amazing. Thank you

YOU😭🥺💧Eu💧💧E E😭😭 E EUE🥺🥺😭UUUUE😭🥺💧🥺😭 ue 💧ee😭🥺💧ue 🥺e e e😭e💧🥺😭Uueuuue💧💧you😭🥺ee e🥺🥺😭eUEE 💧🥺💧EEE 💧💧😭U E 🥺😭EE H💧🥺😭E EUU💧🥺😭yo u🥺💧😭EUEH🥺😭💧💧ue e😭😭eeeeee💧💧💧uu🥺😭 euuuee😭🥺YOUUU🥺😭💧

HEYA NO URE NOT INTRUDING AT ALL!!!! u actually made my made my whole week. no joke :') TYSM FOR READING THE FIC IM SO GLAD PPL LIKED IT AHHHHHH

your ask legit left me speechless for like 3 days straight. to hear that my fic had that kind of impact on you, esp on alhaitham's characterization, is beyond rewarding. genuinely, thank you for taking the time to share your comments with me —it seriously means the world to me!!!! (GOD URE SO SWEET URE SO SWEET URE SO S— cavities.)

AND YOU LOVING THE DIALOGUE? THANK YOU, I STRUGGLED WITH THAT SO MUCH ARRUGHHH (cus i was like dang this is such a perfect chance to include a 4ggravate scene but i was so worried i wld mischaracterize them LMAO)

dw i lowkey giggled at alhaitham's last few lines too (so come back w me / as long as sugar tastes sweet) i tried out other lines, but i ended up sticking with these ones because it felt the most impactful to me SO IM THRILLED TO HEAR THAT OTHERS THINK SO TOO (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ

you, you're amazing, dear reader. thank you for your kind words, you lovely wonderful sweet soul <3

[lovelynim]

CONGRATS FOR THE 500!!!

For the event can i request 🌹 with lee!tighnari and ler!cyno? im such a sucker for them heheh

A jealous hound

Genshin Impact - Cyno x Tighnari

[500 Followers Milestone Event - "Romance"]

A/N: I WAS SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS ONE HEHEHE!! I mean, cahem, I do feel you, anon, because they're also one of my favorite pairings. I toyed a little with the theme, using an old HC of mine that was collecting dust for way too long and I hope it is okay and that you like it <3

Summary: There is something wrong with Cyno, but Tighnari can't find out what is it. Little did he know, he was the one making the general upset ~

Word count: 1473 words

Tighnari could tell that there was something wrong. He didn’t realize it sooner thanks to Kaveh and Alhaitham bickering with each other during their hangout, but there was definitely something off.

Cyno was usually the clingy type, especially when they were by themselves. However, after he had suddenly gone quiet during the meeting, he had only spoken if he was talked to, avoiding and ignoring any kind of interaction - even the ones from Tighnari.

That was weird, really weird, Tighnari thought as he made the way back to his house, always checking over his shoulder to see how the general following him was doing. Catching glimpses of a frown on Cyno’s face, the first hypothesis to pop on his mind was that, for some reason, he was annoyed. But why? They were meeting their friends, having fun, enjoying a meal together… what was there to be angry at?!

The second theory was that Alhaitham or Kaveh could have struck a nerve while teasing him, but as far as Tighnari could remember, Cyno’s fighting skills or obsession for TCG were not one of the topics that night. Even if they were, he would usually get angry for a few moments and brush it off seconds later. As unlikely as it was, it was too early to discard this idea yet.

Last, but not least, could it be Tighnari’s doing? Stopping in front of his house, the fennec thought about it for a minute. Did he end up ignoring one of his attempts to flirt with him in public? Maybe he was too harsh on him during the dinner? But he couldn’t recall saying anything that would make Cyno so upset and-

“Nari,” Cyno spoke in an uninterested tone, letting out a small sigh, “what’s wrong? Just open the door.”

“A-ah, right, my apologies…” The botanist said, quickly picking up the keys in his pockets. 

After turning the key around and pushing the door open, Tighnari was struck with another thought: why was he even nervous?! Feeling such a thing towards Cyno filled the fennec’s mind with nostalgia, memories of when they both were studying in the Akademiya and he used to see the general as that serious and cold-hearted guy. 

But that was in the past. And there was no need to fear talking to him directly. Right, after all, they were dating for a long time already. You got this, Tighnari, he told himself as he stepped inside his house, waiting for Cyno to do the same before gently closing the door.

Taking a deep breath, he clenched his hands into a fist. “Cyno, what’s wrong? You’ve been quiet all ni-” 

“Hah..?” The general sighed, the annoyance clear in his voice. Tighnari froze on the spot, feeling a shiver run down his spine. He could feel Cyno’s glare piercing through his body as if he was next in the line to face the judgment of the Gods. “‘What’s wrong’, Nari? Would you like to make a guess?”

Slowly walking forward, as a hound circling its prey, Cyno decreased the distance between him and his partner. Tighnari’s tail curled and trembled behind him as he stepped back, clearly not expecting this outcome after his question.

“A-ahm…  because you… lost a round of T-TCG?”

“Wrong,” Cyno muttered, trapping Tighnari against the door they had just walked through. The general slammed his hand on the wooden surface, making the fennec gasp in surprise. “It’s because of you.”

“M-Me?! B-but I didn’t-” before he could finish, Cyno held out a finger in front of his lips, stopping him in the middle of his words.

“Shh… I’m not done talking, Nari,” the general lowered his hands, sliding them down the other’s shoulders, all the way down to his wrists. Tighnari could feel the firm grip, but decided to only watch as Cyno pinned his hands against the  wooden surface behind him. “You think I’d just sit and do nothing about it, huh?”

The botanist shuddered, scrunching up his shoulders as he pressed his eyes close. Cyno was speaking merely inches away from his face, treating him like some kind of criminal and, yet, he couldn’t find out what he did to make his partner so angry at him.

“What are you tal- ahm, I mean… what did I do, Cyno?” He replied sheepishly, scared to enrage the general even more.

The other clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disapproval. “You think this is funny, right?”

“N-no, I jus-”

“Just like you thought Kaveh’s jokes were funny.”

“...what?”

Changing his grip, Cyno managed to pin both of his partner’s wrists with one hand, keeping them out of the scene as he furrowed his brows. “You ignore and scold me when I tell them, but you go around laughing at others’ jokes… you are the worst sometimes, you know that?”

Tighnari blinked a few times, trying to process the whole thing. Was he for real?

“You… are jealous becaHAH- C-CynohOH!” Before he could talk back to the general, a whole set of fingers dug into his ribs, flooding his brain with the ticklish feeling that ran across his body as electric shocks. “W-wahAHAit!! AhAHAH, nahAHAhah!!”

“No, I’m not jealous, Nari. I’m angry at how… inconsiderate you were with my feelings,” Cyno muttered, his voice still full of annoyance as he tweaked his fingers against Tighnari’s body, going up to his underarms and then all the way down to his waist, only to start over again.

“I-I wahAHAh- plehHEHeahAhase!!” The fennec begged, letting out a high-pitched squeal. His hands trembled and his knees were about to give in as he convulsed with laughter, desperately trying to escape the wrath of his jealous boyfriend. “I-I didn’t mehehEHEhean to! It caHAhaught me o-ohOHOff guard!!”

The general remained silent, using his free hand to look for any other sensitive spot to exploit as he continued to deliver his “punishment”. Deciding to let out a little more steam to ease his annoyance, Cyno curled his fingers and used his nails to scratch at Tighnari’s sides like a kitten sharpening its claws. 

“You naughty fox… do you think you go around, laughing at other men’s jokes like that, hm?” The general whispered into one of his ears, letting the warm air do the job as his hands continued to work restlessly.

If the tickling wasn’t enough to make Tighnari blush, those words surely did the job. His ears twitched with each word spoken, sending an awful shiver down his back. It was the kind of thing that would make his heart melt, that, of course, if it wasn’t for the merciless tickling assaulting his torso.

“A-ahAHah, p-plehehase!” Tighnari gasped, gritting his teeth in a crooked smile as he tried to resist the tickling, sucking his stomach in and leaning his body away as much as he could to avoid Cyno’s fingers. “I-i’m sohOHOhorry, o-okahahay?!”

“No,” Cyno whispered calmly, letting out a small chuckle before planting a gentle kiss on Tighnari’s ear, “it’s not okay, Na-ri ~”

Sneaking his hand through the layers of cloth covering his partner, Cyno finally managed to touch Tighnari’s skin. Just like he expected, that simple doing was enough to evoke a new level of reactions from his partner, amusing himself with how easy it was to fill the room with the fennec’s laughter.

Literally laughing his head off, the forest watcher squirmed as much as he could inside Cyno’s hold. “I-it’s too muhuhuch!! CynoHOHoh!! I cahAHAhan’t anymohOHOre!!” He continued to squeal in mirth, unable to resist the touch of Cyno’s fingers against his bare middle.

“Now, I just want to remind you, Nari,” he continued to whisper, not even sure if his voice could be heard through all that laughter, “you are my boyfriend, which means I am the only one who gets to hear you laughing like this. Got it?”

“Y-YEHehehes! A-AhaAHAHarchons, j-just stoHOHOp!!”

Hearing the words he wanted to and sensing Tighnari was reaching his limit, Cyno smiled, giving his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek as he moved his hand away. Still holding his wrists together, the general gently pushed a few strands of hair away from Tighnari’s blushing face, smiling at him. “Good thing you are a quick learner, Nari ~”

“S-shut up, you big lummox,” Tighnari hissed, making Cyno giggle as he managed to shake his hands free from his grip. “Aren’t you a little too old to be having jealousy attacks?”

“I was not jealous,” Cyno insisted as Tighnari walked past him, now taking his turn to act upset at his partner, “I just don’t like to share my Nari, that’s all…” He muttered, just loud enough so Tighnari could hear him, making the forest watcher’s tail wag as soon as those words reached him. The general smiled.

“You are the worst sometimes,” Tighnari snapped, but Cyno only laughed at his comment.

“Love you too, Nari.”

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

I have no other place to yap this to so I apologise in advance.

I find it interesting in Alhaitham and Kaveh’s voicelines they tend to talk about each other A LOT in a way of complaining. Such as in Alhaitham’s Good night voiceline where he says that he’d prefer that Kaveh wouldn’t be home at all because all the chaos and noise he makes in the dead of the night. Or in Kaveh’s Good Morning voiceline where he says that he hopes that you don't run into someone who ruins your day first thing in the morning.

I guess it’s what makes other people think that they despise each other’s company. Yet they’re always viewed as a pair and Alhaitham could’ve kicked Kaveh out of the house ages ago. But what’s your opinion on that?

Hiya! there's no need to apologise, this is a safe space for all haikaveh! When I tell you your ask is scratching my brain I mean ITCHING, I have so many thoughts about this part of their dynamic so thank you for enabling me <3 This turned out to be rather long, so I hope it’s helpful to you!

The contention in both Alhaitham and Kaveh’s character stories and voice lines seems to be to create intrigue about the two as individuals, and, in turn, their relationship.

Alhaitham’s ‘good night’ voice line instantly serves as a contradiction to his character. It’s interesting, and telling, that Alhaitham, who is essentially Kaveh’s landlord, and mentions this within his fourth character story, alludes to Kaveh by using ‘roommate’ rather than ‘tenant’. ‘Landlord’ evokes a position of authority over the tenant, whereas ‘roommate’ indicates an equality between two people sharing a house – since it’s Alhaitham who advocates for the term ‘roommate’, it’s telling that, as opposed to what Kaveh believes, Alhaitham wants to establish equality between them.

In terms of what Alhaitham says in this voice line, it explicitly raises a contradiction in the form of a question: if Alhaitham is truly bothered by his roommate’s antics, why doesn’t he simply evict Kaveh?

This is relevant as this question is also posed when we initially meet Kaveh within the Archon Quest, as Kaveh states he dislikes Alhaitham’s personality, to which Alhaitham responds by saying if he bothers Kaveh so much, Kaveh always has the option to move out of the house – to which Kaveh perceives as a threat, only to then dismiss this as Alhaitham ‘changing the subject’, which seems to mean that this ‘threat’ is taken as baseless. As this isn’t called back to, this seems to be the case.

There is no real threat of eviction, and regardless of their disputes, Alhaitham ultimately gives Kaveh no ultimatum to move out. In fact, as discussed here (page 27), as we are meeting Alhaitham and Kaveh for the first time, Alhaitham allowing Kaveh to live with him contradicts his established character of living a life free of inconvenience. This instantly creates intrigue around his and Kaveh’s dynamic – who is Kaveh to Alhaitham for this exception to be made to Alhaitham’s peaceful way of life?

(An additional note of interest is that Alhaitham’s solution to the noise problem seems to be more uncomfortable than calling on Kaveh and telling him to stop his work. Alhaitham says that he’d rather not wear his noise-cancelling earpieces to bed, implying that he does so when noise is a problem at night. However, there’s no mention of Kaveh being stubborn when confronting this issue, which is why he takes to wearing his ear pieces, or any mention of confrontation at all. From this voice-line, it seems that Alhaitham avoids interaction by opting for the least comfortable option, which can be a contradiction to his character. As this is a rather brief voice-line, it’s difficult to ascertain why, but I like the idea that Kaveh is productive at night, and Alhaitham prefers not to impose on Kaveh’s work process – but this is more a headcanon than evidenced interpretation.)

Returning back to the contradiction within this voice-line, at a surface glance, this does appear to be a general complaint about Kaveh, and this can be found in Alhaitham’s lines about Kaveh, and also when discussing Tighnari. Alhaitham refers to Kaveh as ‘overly sensitive’, and ‘constantly making a fuss’.

These can easily read solely as complaints, but when looking to the original CN translation, another interpretation can be found here. Alhaitham describes Kaveh as ‘caring’ or ‘tender’, which is exactly how Kaveh is described within the 3.6 special program (as per minimushiroom on twt), which can allude to how Kaveh is considerate to a fault, in that this serves as a detriment to himself.

This can be seen in Alhaitham’s other Kaveh-centred voice-line, in which he describes Kaveh buying keychains in order to provide meals for sick children, even though healthcare is free in Sumeru. Alhaitham clearly holds the view that this was a redundant action, as Kaveh, being in debt, most likely doesn’t have the money to spend on such investments that are, evidently, dubious.

As Alhaitham provides a rational view here, this contrasts with Kaveh’s act of generosity fuelled by emotion – which highlights the contention Alhaitham has with Kaveh, in that Kaveh places himself in dangerous situations for the sake of others. However, as this can be perceived as a solely derisive line, this essential context is lacking, and can be easily misconstrued. (I think the EN translation here also coincides with this narrative, as minimushiroom notes that the original CN has Alhaitham refer to Kaveh’s sensitivity in a positive way, rather than contemptuously, as the English can be interpreted as.)

Kaveh, similarly, can be seen to complain about Alhaitham in his own voice-lines. This can be seen in the 'Good Morning' voice-line you've mentioned, where Kaveh complains about having to see Alhaitham in the morning, which 'ruins' his day. Additionally, Kaveh's voice-lines discussing Alhaitham refer to Alhaitham as ‘infuriating’ and not wanting to give Alhaitham the satisfaction of thanking him, despite Alhaitham helping him out. However, there is more nuance in these voice-lines than Kaveh simply ‘disliking’ Alhaitham, as this dislike is never stated - rather that he and Alhaitham have a difficult relationship in comparison to the ‘close’ friendship of their past.

Kaveh describes their relationship being a ‘mixed bag’, of both negatives and positives, as well as establishing a thorough understanding of Alhaitham, where other people may misinterpret Alhaitham as they ‘don’t know him well enough’. Additionally, Kaveh notes that he knows that Alhaitham can present himself in a more ‘likeable’ manner, but that Alhaitham refuses to do so, which refers to Kaveh’s contention with Alhaitham discussed within his character stories. This, in turn, generates curiosity, as it appears that Kaveh holds an in-depth knowledge of Alhaitham that the player isn’t privy to.

Referring back to Alhaitham’s ‘Good Night’ voiceline, the question raised is, if Alhaitham has a problem with Kaveh, why doesn’t he just evict Kaveh? And the answer can be found by digging further into Alhaitham’s character stories. Looking to Alhaitham’s fourth character story, it states that he is aware of the dissatisfaction Kaveh may have with their living arrangement but  that ‘it matters not to him’.

This means that he is aware that Kaveh may be unhappy with having to rely on someone else for a stable livelihood, something which his pride doesn’t naturally allow, but that this is also exacerbated due to their previous falling out and the current contentions Kaveh has with him.

At first, this can seem rather abrasive, which does fall in line with Alhaitham’s egoism as this doesn’t directly impact ‘the self’ (discussed further here), however, what immediately follows is Alhaitham’s belief that he and Kaveh are mirrors, in that his own perspective of the world will be enhanced - in the og CN, ‘completed’ -by Kaveh’s own world view.

The implication generated here with the explicit term ‘mirror’, is that, just as Alhaitham benefits from Kaveh, Kaveh, in turn, can benefit from Alhaitham. (As a side note, it is interesting then that the voice-lines in question can be seen to mirror each other – Kaveh mentions Alhaitham in ‘Good Morning’ whereas Alhaitham mentions Kaveh in ‘Good Night’.)

Returning back to Alhaitham’s character story, rather than merely reflecting each other philosophically speaking, I’d say that this also points to their respective progression as people, not just scholars.

To me, this is reminiscent of what Alhaitham says to Kaveh in A Parade of Providence – being ‘correct’, ultimately, doesn’t matter, as there is no ‘correct’ path in life, meaning that there is no ‘correct’ philosophy to shape and guide a person. Rather, Alhaitham asserts that, ultimately, their opposing philosophies are not the issue that exists between them.

The issue that does exist, then, can be surmised from Alhaitham’s actions during the event (discussed further here), in which he researches into Sachin to gauge his influence over Kaveh’s father journeying into the desert, with implicit hopes of providing closure for Kaveh, and potentially assuaging Kaveh’s guilt. This is a personal act with a personal motive; the underlying motive being concern, as opposed to an assertion of ‘correctness’.

In my opinion, I think Alhaitham’s actions during A Parade of Providence are a direct reference, and fulfilment, of Kaveh’s fifth character story. I’ve discussed here that the main reason for the ending of their friendship was them asserting the correctness of a philosophy over the other, and proposing one philosophy as the ‘solution’ to the other’s perceived flaws.

Here Alhaitham can be seen to use Kaveh’s past as the reason for his excessive altruism, implicitly referring to Kaveh’s guilt over being the supposed catalyst for his father’s demise. This final comment of Alhaitham’s appears to be the first time this has been mentioned between them, and it’s enough to be perceived as weaponisation – leading to Kaveh severing their friendship.

In A Parade of Providence, Alhaitham is shown to only have taken the role of commentator to research into Sachin, whose research we are told (by Kaveh), he has no explicit interest in, and it is heavily implied that the only reason he looked further into Sachin, was to prove to link between Sachin and Kaveh’s father. Alhaitham seems to want to absolve Kaveh of this past guilt in hopes that Kaveh will stop placing himself in the cycle of self-sabotage.

For me, when viewing this as a parallel, it highlights that Alhaitham’s motivation in speaking out during their days as students was out of concern for Kaveh, although while holding egoism as ultimately beneficial, and therefore perceivably ‘correct’. The ‘issue’ they’re currently debating is not expressly stated, and although it is unclear if Kaveh understands the implication (as discussed here), as ‘correctness’ has been overturned, there seems to be little left than the personal.

Relating this back to Alhaitham’s fourth character story, for me, Alhaitham referring to Kaveh as a mirror isn’t just referring to Kaveh as a scholar, but a person as a whole. As Alhaitham seeks to improve himself, personally, through Kaveh, it seems that he hopes to be able to benefit Kaveh in turn.

As for Kaveh’s complaints regarding Alhaitham, these can be contextualised within his own character stories. As Kaveh ultimately severed the friendship between him and Alhaitham, Alhaitham offering Kaveh to live with him, despite Kaveh revoking his previous understanding of Alhaitham (as discussed here, page 67), causes Kaveh to be overtly suspicious.

In Kaveh’s Old Sketchbook, it is mentioned that Kaveh believes there to be an ulterior motive for Alhaitham inviting him to share a house, as he believes that Alhaitham wouldn’t do something for someone else without an exchange.

Kaveh, then, openly distrusts Alhaitham due to this unspoken motive, and although he takes on chores to ease his sense of guilt of being a perceived burden, a contention arises here. Due to their previously ended friendship, and with how Alhaitham hurt Kaveh, and how Kaveh may believe he hurt Alhaitham (discussed here), Kaveh sees no reason for Alhaitham to want him around – he treats their relationship as an exchange, asking what Alhaitham could possibly want for him.

Although Alhaitham views Kaveh as a mirror, and therefore, respects Kaveh’s perspectives, Kaveh can potentially view their opposing philosophies as a negative rather than a positive as he had done in the past (as discussed here), as it, perceivably, was what led to the end of their friendship. In this, Kaveh views Alhaitham as disparaging him and his views. As mentioned in his character story, he has no reservations in telling Alhaitham of his debt as Alhaitham has already seen through him in the past, and yet again, upon meeting at the tavern.

Although Alhaitham perceivably views him unfavourably, and his comments and complaints appear to propagate this interpretation, Alhaitham also seems to have no issue with keeping Kaveh around, and interacting with Kaveh, regardless of the problems Kaveh expressly has with him.

To Kaveh, it could be that as Alhaitham has already seen the worst of him, and appears to have no real issue with their stilted rapport, there is no point in donning a front and using niceties. He is open with his issues with Alhaitham, and, in turn, Alhaitham is open with him.

This appears to be a dual negative and positive for Kaveh, as he describes Alhaitham’s constancy as ‘the most unshakable part of one's past is a friend that will never change’. In this sense, his unsteady rapport with Alhaitham is reliable, and therefore, has no reason to change.

Clearly, there is a large disconnect between Alhaitham’s view of Kaveh and how Kaveh perceives Alhaitham’s view of him. As previously mentioned in the discussion of A Parade of Providence, there is an unspoken ‘issue’ between them, and this can be interpreted as dire misconceptions borne from miscommunication.

As discussed, Kaveh and Alhaitham reference each other a lot in their respective voice-lines and their character stories. This alone is enough to connect them, regardless of the cruciality of their mirror motif, as they are key figures of each other’s past, present, and seemingly, future. Despite this, it’s as you say, there’s a common perception to view them as mutually disliking each other, and, to me, this is based upon their first initial interaction, and the way they refer to each other in their own character stories and voice-lines.

It’s notable that Alhaitham refers to Kaveh in his voice-lines when Kaveh is not explicitly relevant, such as in his Good Night voice-line, and, most interestingly, when Alhaitham discusses Tighnari.

This could be because Alhaitham knows of Tighnari through Kaveh, but as this connection isn’t stated, it reads as Alhaitham mentioning Kaveh for no other reason than to complain about his perceived naivety regarding relations with others. But as this is a voice-line designated to discussing Tighnari, it’s interesting, and incredibly noticeable, that Alhaitham then discusses Kaveh instead. It’s similar to what Kaveh can be seen to do, and is observed to do by others, in relation to discussing Alhaitham.

When it comes to Kaveh, however, his complaining of Alhaitham can be seen to link with his process of dealing with troubles in his work. In his Hangout, he states that he takes his work to heart because he cares about it, which is expressed in the same quest in which Kaveh and the Traveller run into Alhaitham in the House of Daena (discussed further here, page 219).

Drawing a parallel here can further contextualise Kaveh’s complaining of Alhaitham – if Kaveh truly disliked Alhaitham, there seems to be no reason for Alhaitham to remain so relevant to him, both in conversation, and in private thought. Additionally, Kaveh is described as an empathetic person, and when dealing with others, he is thusly seen to look for another perspective rather than act on his own subjective perspective.

Looking at his voice-line on Dori, for example, expresses his distaste for Dori pressuring him for Mora due to his debt, however, he also empathises with her, and states that he senses there must be a reason why Dori acts in such a way.

In contrast, this empathy can be perceived as missing in his treatment of Alhaitham, and therefore Kaveh complaining about Alhaitham can be perceived as blatant dislike – which contradicts Kaveh’s benevolence and empathy, which A Parade of Providence particularly stresses.

Kaveh’s treatment of Alhaitham can be seen as deliberately contradictory, as it can cause the player to question why Kaveh reacts in such a singular way to Alhaitham, just as why Alhaitham reacts in a singular way to Kaveh.

In reference to Alhaitham, whilst Alhaitham tends to complain about Kaveh in turn, his actions reveal him. He invites Kaveh to live with him, gives no eviction date, pays for Kaveh’s tabs willingly, (supposedly) buys wine as an apology, and goes out of his way to ensure dialogue with Kaveh – which contradicts his own character stories, in which he appears to favour solitude, and only greets those he considers his friends ‘with a nod or two’.

Moreover, Alhaitham is established as considering Kaveh a necessity to his ‘peaceful life’ he seeks to maintain (as discussed here), and can be seen to implicitly consider Kaveh one of his priorities within his Story Quest.

The idea that Alhaitham dislikes Kaveh seems to stem from Alhaitham being taken literally when voicing an opinion, or an issue, or simply joking, in reference to Kaveh – despite his character stories highlighting that Alhaitham often uses sarcasm in order to subvert expectations.

Alhaitham expressly states that he prefers to be seen as inscrutable, and unknown, by the general public, and uses subversion as a means to do so. In these character stories, Alhaitham openly encourages speculation of his own words.

Without this context, it seems easy to simplify Alhaitham to purely speaking factually when first addressing Kaveh in the Archon Quest – stating that having to explain things to Kaveh is ‘a nuisance’, and yet, it is overlooked that Alhaitham stays in the House of Daena, regardless, knowing Kaveh would find him again.

On the whole, in my opinion, Kaveh’s feelings towards Alhaitham cannot be simplified to ‘dislike’ as this is dually an inherent misunderstanding of his character, and of his and Alhaitham’s relationship, just as Alhaitham’s feelings towards Kaveh cannot be simplified to ‘dislike’ for this same reason.

In the beginning, Alhaitham and Kaveh are not supposed to be perceived as friendly, as Kaveh denies the association of ‘friends’, and Paimon describes them to the Traveller as ‘problematic’.

The reason for this is due to their character arcs being intertwined – the core issue is posed in Kaveh’s fifth character story, in that the question is raised if a compromise can be reached, if both sides of the mirror, can be balanced. At the beginning, they are entirely at odds, but even footing must be found.

I’ve noticed a shift in online discourse after Cyno’s second story quest, as the progression in Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship is noticeable – deliberately, due to the flashback scene within their house (which I’ve discussed in detail here, page 122). To me, it’s more common to form the assumption that Alhaitham and Kaveh dislike each other in the Archon Quest, but with recent developments, and, hopefully, future ones, this perception is being overturned in online communities. Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking, but I’m still hopeful!

[j-a-n-e--d-o-e]

Popstar/Dancer au

Alhaitham was originally a ballet dancer who took part in street dance competitions to earn some extra cash to help pay for him grandmothers medical bills. He gets scouted by the Akasha record label to work as a background dancer for one of their singers, but his pretty face draws the managers attention, who decides to make him the next face of Akasha records.

Azar looks into him and finds the medical debts and uses it to pressure him into a contract. When that fails, he has a cop plant drugs on fellow dancer Nilou and offers to make it all go away if he just signs on the dotted line. He’ll even pull some strings to help with her future, isn’t that nice of him?

Alhaitham is a musician and plays guitar (he played a guitar, violin and clarinet to get a scholarship for private school before going Julliard) for one of their upcoming bands that quickly becomes internationally loved but after a falling out with Kaveh who goes on to break ties with Akasha records the band dissolves with most going their separate ways.

Azar keeps Alhaitham from leaving by threatening to use his contacts to blacklist Kaveh and destroy his career. Alhaitham doesn’t care about his own, his depts are paid, his grandmother has passed, and thanks to his time in a pop band he’ll never be accepted into any ballet company – but he does care about Kaveh. Azar originally intends to have him lip sync as a solo artist only to find out that Alhaitham actually has a decent singing voice and merely needs some coaching.

Alhaitham is considered a bad boy by the media due to his progressively harsher behaviour.

He’s technically pop, but his music tends to tread into any other genre that draws his attention.

Azar hates it but doesn’t say anything so long as it sells. Now that Kavehs career is secure, he could leave but doesn’t see any point as most of his friendships crashed and burned after he stayed with Akasha records, and he has a comfortable if toxic life now.

Nilou is aware of what Azar did and hates that she was used to manipulate Alhaitham. They aren’t close anymore - she can’t bair to watch him destroy himself - but she will always be there if he needs her. Dunyarzad was both of their patron before everything that happened, and one of the only people who knew everything. She had dreams of being a ballet dancer before it was discovered she had early onset Osteoarthritis, she would never dance again. Instead of letting this destroy her, she used her family money to support others who shared her dream. Her guilt over her inability to save Alhaitham from having his dreams stollen from him hurts deeply and doesn’t truly go away until she finally sees him happy again. Duny was the one who hinted to Nahida that there was something rotten going on in the company.

Alhaitham mentors Sethos, Cyno’s half-brother, who joins up with Akasha Records (instead of Silent Studios like Cyno) to try and get out of his brother’s shadow. Alhaitham does his best to protect the kid from Azars machinations, and once Sethos realises the danger he’s in, he helps him break from Akasha records. Sethos joins up with recently founded Rebirth Records, where he meets Nahida(the original owner of Akasha records who was ousted by Azar before she was old enough to even sit in the seat she inherited from her mother) and Wanderer.

Nahida and Wanderer both know bits and pieces of Alhaithams situation, Nahida from the records she managed to look at before Azar got rid of her (it was her investigation into AR hiring practises that caused him to target her), and wanderer from his time working at a ‘consultancy firm’ that handled issues for akasha records. So, when he asks them to help get Sethos out, they agree.

Alhaitham never considers joining RR because he knows that Kaveh has been looking into them and that the other would never join them if they were associated with him. He wants Kaveh to have the support and safety net of having a label behind him rather than just a patron like Dori.

Wanderer introduces Alhaitham to Arlecchino, the head of ‘the Hearth’ an international multibillion dollar media company at an award ceremony, mostly to piss Azar off. Neither he nor Azar actually expects anything to come from it, but Arlecchino knows a drowning man when she sees one and has a grudge against AR over them, destroying her childhood friend. Arle blames them alongside Clervie’s mother for her suicide and is more than happy to make them miserable.

She steals Alhaitham.

He leaves Akasha for the Hearths music label ‘Crimson Moon Studios’ but only starts to drag himself out of what he now realises was depression when Arlecchino has him begin working with her wife ‘Furina’ to bring Ballet and other forms of dance to the big screen with modern adaptations of well-loved stories. This is also how he and Nilou grow close again.

Things are starting to look up for him, only for a reporter to get a hold of Akasha records private data, including all the blackmail and threats he and other artists were subjected to.

[kzhyxmi]

|Denied Feelings|

Alhaitham x F!Reader

Series Masterlist

➯「"𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆, 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅. 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒐𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒕"

Summary: In which the top students in the Akademiya are academic rivals. One is serious and studious, though the other is a natural genius who treats the competition as a fun game. How did their arguments turn into them trying to solve a murder together?」

Chapter 2: Feverish start

The teacher was writing the assignment for today when suddenly, the bell rang. Finally, you thought. You weren't feeling the best today, you were sure you caught a fever

"Alright, students. Enjoy your break." He said before exiting the classroom. You stood up and so did Alhaitham. You turn your head to the side just to see the others walking towards the two of you.

"It's literally only lunchtime and we already have so much homework... On Monday too" Aether complained.

"Shouldn't you be used to it already?" Kaveh asked as you all exited the classroom. "And Y/n, you look paler than usual?" You glared at him before muttering "Say another word and I'll have you meet death before me."

Kaveh just shook his head before mumbling "You might meet it before me at this point."

Tighnari walked beside you while Alhaitham who was beside you a minute ago was now talking to Kaveh about the upcoming school activities. Being a member of the student council has its disadvantages.

"Hey, are you sure you're fine?" He asked, his voice was filled with concern. Alhaitham was one to see right through you. Before you could reply Nilou also asked about your well-being as well.

"I'm fine, you guys don't need to worry"

I'm totally not fine, you thought. You didn't want them to worry about you, hence you lied.

"Alright, students. That is it for today, your last-period teacher informed me she won't be able to attend today so enjoy your early dismissal. Class dismissed."

You were placing your things back in your bag, Alhaitham called out your name. "Y/n,"

You turned to look at him before replying with a "Yes?"

"Meet me at the student council meeting

place after you're done." He said, as he swiftly swung his bag around his shoulder. You nod your head and continue on what you were doing as he left with Cyno and Aether.

"Wanna get Ice cream before our meeting later, Y/n?" Kaveh asked. You simply shook your head.

"Can't do that. Alhaitham wants to meet me before the others. He wants to discuss some things, I guess."

He smiled at your response "Alright, try not to argue too much, yeah?"

You sarcastically rolled your eyes at what he said. Not minding his laugh afterward.

"Make sure Alhaitham has a hard time dealing with you; my money is on the line." Dehya chuckled.

"Oh my archons, not you too." Tighnari and Nilou just smiled as you looked annoyed. Despite the look of annoyance, they knew you weren't serious, just tired. They knew you long enough to know when you were serious and when you were simply tired.

You messaged your temples, feeling your head began to throb again. Kaveh saw this and stopped laughing. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"Uhm, Excuse me, Vice Pres." You turned to see a student. He was familiar though you didn't know his name. He was by the door.

"What?" Your voice was stern and cold. Anyone could sense there was a hint of annoyance along with it.

"A-Alhaitham wants me to e-escort you" The poor guy looked terrified. You grabbed your things and went out with the guy, leaving the others giggling and squealing like little girls.

"Don't mind her, she's just not feeling well!"

The walk there was awfully quiet. The student didn't seem to want to start a conversation with you, hence, you started it yourself. Feeling guilty about speaking to him with such a tone.

"I apologize for my tone earlier. I was just tired when you called for me" He finally stopped looking terrified like his mood did a whole  change.

"It's alright, Vice Pres. You must be tired from stress. Being a Student Council and a top student at the same time must be hard."

You looked at him for a second. Despite this being the first time you talked to him, it was a nice feeling having someone who could understand your behavior."It is."

"Are you a first-year?" You strike a question.

"I am! I really look up to you. You're so smart and hardworking and all!" His answer made you laugh. You'll probably brag to Alhaitham about it later on.

You reached the meeting room and opened the door to see Alhaitham with his nose buried inside a book again. He didn't seem to notice your arrival as he was wearing his headphones as well.

"Thank you for escorting me. I appreciate it" The student smiled in return "You're welcome Vice Pres. Good luck!" And with that, he left.

You walked towards the table before slamming your palm on the table, loud enough to earn his attention. You smiled, "Hi,"

You heard his tongue click out of annoyance. "Was that necessary?"

You sat down next to him. You were going to let your face fall on the table, but before it could hit the cold surface, Alhaitham placed a plush-like pillow. Your face landed on the soft object. You turned to look at him, face still on the pillow.

"Thank you?" He didn't respond, instead, He closed the book he was reading and placed his hand on your forehead. You silently winced as his cold hand made contact with your skin.

"So I was right. You are having a fever." He said as you looked at him, muttering something inaudible.

"Do you have to state that?"

"You look feverish; I'm sure you know you are having a fever, yet you still decided to go to school today." His hand moves away from you.

You sighed, burying your face on the pillow. "I didn't want to miss out on anything."

He took out his phone, texting someone. Silently glancing at you once. "I shouldn't be surprised with your answer." He flicked my forehead earning a yelp from you.

"What the heck was that for?!" You angrily asked. Looking more annoyed than ever. "Just rest and listen to what I'll discuss with you."

As he was discussing, he turned his head a bit to look at you, he saw that you were already asleep.  Alhaitham stared at you before his hand reached out to move the stray hairs away from your face, tucking them behind your ears.

He quietly stood up, making sure not to make a sound. He took the remote control of the Air conditioner and adjusted its temperature so you wouldn't get cold.

He received a phone notification afterward. He took his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. Reading the text he received.

He went back to his seat. Eyeing the girl beside him. He took out his laptop and began typing for his research. Letting time pass silently.

You wake up to the sound of keyboard typing. Your head rose from the pillow as you let out a yawn, earning his attention. You rub your eyes gently with your fist as he stops typing.

"You're awake already? I was expecting you to sleep till 3:50." You stared at him before resting your face on the pillow once more.

"It's fine, I have some energy now... I think."

He just stared at you before looking back at his laptop. "I'm sorry for sleeping while you were discussing."

He looks at me again before saying "Don't apologize, you needed to rest."

You just hummed in return. The atmosphere was light, there was no awkwardness in it at all. You were enjoying the peacefulness when all of a sudden, the door burst open, earning both of your attention.

"Hello! I'm surprised you guys aren't bickering at the moment." Kaveh entered the room as you gave him a look of disgust.

"What the hell?" He took a seat in front of the two of you, Ignoring your remark.

"Here's a proper meal and some snacks along with medicine. Eat up now!" He handed you the paper bag. You were confused. You didn't recall asking for any.

"Since when did I request for snacks and meds?" He turned to Alhaitham and you turned to him too.

"I requested them. Your fever might get worse if we leave it untreated." Alhaitham said, not bothering to look up from his laptop.

You opened the box of pocky sticks, before you could open the wrapper, "Eat the meal before the snacks."

You and Kaveh watched as Alhaitham took the box of pocky sticks away from you, giving you the meal instead. His eyes locked with yours. "Do you need me to spoon-feed you as well?"

You immediately shook your head, taking a spoonful of the food while Kaveh burst out laughing. Alhaitham's words earned two different reactions.

"Didn't know you could be caring" you muttered loud enough for him to hear as Kaveh rested his chin on his palm that was on top of the table, watching the two of you with a teasing smile on his face.

"I was merely taking care of you who's too busy trying to beat me to the point she forgot to take care of herself, no?"

"You bitc-"

And with that, another one of your daily arguments started while Kaveh on the other hand, took one of your snacks he bought and started eating while watching the two of you argue. A smile still rested on his face as he found your interaction amusing.

Fun facts:

• Alhaitham would always look after Y/n when she was sick. It became a habit as they grew older.

•Alhaitham became Student Council President not because he wanted to, but because Y/n forced him to.

•Y/n forced him to become Student Council President because she didn't like the other candidates and she thought they were unfit for a leader.

A/n:

Thank you for reading. English isn't my first language so I apologize in advance if I have any grammatical errors.

←Chapter 1

Chapter 3 ➜

[intogenshin]

A lot went into creating Alhatham and Kaveh and how they contribute to the major themes of the chapter

I do think Alhaitham was meant to channel some of Nietzsche's worldviews, especially with regards to his elitism (since Nahida voices that concern in her voiceline about him), but ultimately just comes across as an egoist. The fact Haitham references Tagore, whose lectures (some of them) seem to be in response to Nietzsche, in his teaser and the conclusion of his arc being that he refuses the position of Acting Grand Sage both act as a denial of Nietzsche rhetoric

Kaveh has Zoroastrianism, the origin of western morals that Nietzsche was critical of, and Schopenhauer, a hero turned clown for Nietzsche (and Indian philosophy grifter) in his corner of all things, but also, and I don't understand why, fucking Ayn Rand

I want to believe miss Rand ripped off someone else who Hoyo chose as their inspiration and I just don't know who they are, but until then I have to use her name

I think fans find a bit of a dissonance between Kaveh's altruism and his idealism in art, maybe because he used all that money in such a self interested project instead of a selfless cause. Not hoyos best writing imo? Lol

Rand was an egoist who wrote fiction to shape her idea of her ideal man, something she used as a political tool against socialism in favor of capitalism, but hoyo didn't bring up ideology so I won't either.

In The Fountainhead, the protagonist is an architect who often argues with his clients and faces many difficulties in his commitment to his artistic ideals, going against an industry and a society that doesn't value innovation. The character itself and the story are pretty annoying and unlikeable, I'm just making it sound appealing, but it's pretty much the structure of Kaveh's struggle in his own line of work.

The difference is, in the novel the values the protagonist challenges are that of tradition with his ideals of modernism that neglect aesthetics. Kaveh is a pretty grounded architect in that regard, he does prioritize practicality and is realistic with budgets, but he also respects the aesthetic aspect of his work, the main struggle of his character is the devaluation of arts after all.

To me, what stands out is the intention behind this. The Fountainhead is more or less a statement on individuality (though Rand for sure tried to pass it as individualism), of going against what's established and what the society enforced through collective pressure. I think there is value in Hoyo making the same point with a character that embodies everything Rand was critical of (and other egoists like Stirner and Nietzsche): altruism, self sacrifice, compassion, collectivism. Kaveh defends and upholds the value of his individuality while sporting the ethical philosophy that egoists claim does the complete opposite. The message of the novel is something like "only through egoist values can man assert his individuality, altruists are dumb and lose their identity" yet here hoyo does the same with an altruist

The personality of the protagonist fits completely that of Alhaitham, he's a wild exploration of what Ayn Rand characters would look like if they weren't fucking annoying.

Something that immediately struck me was the fact Rand removed all (except for two) instances of the protagonist sharing his inner world, the narration of his inner monologues that Rand wrote in the draft didn't make it to the published version. This is because it made the protagonist come across as calm and collected, logical at all times in his behavior and his decisions in contrast to the other characters who share their anxieties, insecurities and frustrations. Likewise, the audience never finds out what Alhaitham is feeling at any point of the story. Even during the aq when traveler reveals his experience in Sumeru, the narration shares something relevant about Cyno (vague, but personal all the same) yet about Alhaitham it only says he's interested. Other than that, his story quest is also a larger reference to the novel, but not that important in terms of his character.

[scaredpigeons]

Reincarnation Theory; an attempted breakdown on Alhaitham and Kavehs relationship that will never come to fruition because Hoyoverse are cowards— by Pidge.

When I finally got my hands on Alhaitham, I was ecstatic. Not only because damn, I finally get to play as this hunky, genius know-it-all pretty boy who would surely never give me the time of day if we were in the same room, but because attaining his character in game gave me first class tickets to learning more about him.

Up until his release as a playable character, we didn’t really know much about Alhaitham. He seemed cocky and aloof, sure of himself and had the knowledge to back up those attributes. It was honestly a little frustrating to see a character who acted so much like one you’d want to hate, but you simply just…. Couldn’t. Because seriously…? He’s not wrong. Dig a little deeper, and a lot of players found his actions and personality type to be extremely autism coded, and honestly refreshing for a lot of neurodivergent players like myself, so used to never seeing “undesirable” personality traits in characters who are designed with the intention for you to love them.

Working on building up Alhaitham to be my main Dps was entertaining, and in doing so I ventured more into the desert, learning more and more about the mysterious King Deshret and his seemingly abandoned society.

The symbolism found within ruins and relics had me jumping to conclusions so quickly. Rushing to message my best friend and fellow genshin impact enthusiast, Kier, to tell them of my theory.

Alhaitham has to be a reincarnation of king deshret! There’s so much symbolic mirroring in his design, his constellation, everything! Even if he isn’t, he has to have something to do with this ancient society, I mean c’mon, look at him.

And Kier, ever the seemingly nihilistic critical thinker brushed me off.

I’ve not payed much attention to the desert lore so far, they’d said. It’s sort of boring and white washed, and I’m focusing on the archon quest line right now. But whatever you say, kiddo.

Of course being in the throes of a questline involving the dendro archon herself, and the questionable nature of the beloved scaramouche becoming a playable character, (I could write a whole essay on the problems of that story’s narrative alone, but I shall save that for another day) was enough to distract me from this thought process, but then he arrived.

Alhaitham’s story quest caused every cyno x haitham shipper to do a collective and dramatic record scratch, because who was this stunning blond bombshell and why is he so hot despite nagging at our boy?

Kaveh stole my heart immediately. One look at that little open back panel on his shirt and I was done for. And as the drip marketing started, and the leaks were sucked up the fans straws like a sugary drink on a hot summers day, I went digging.

Alhaitham has multiple voice lines dedicated to his flamboyant roommate, and several that mention him in passing. They have matching animations for when they are standing idle in game. Their signature dishes mimic foods from each others referenced cultures, even items within their Teapot gift sets are representative of each other in some way. For a game that so seemingly discourages relationships between adult playable characters (in favour of keeping an open ended relationship with the beloved traveller of course,) these two are seemingly more connected to each other than any two characters we’ve seen before.

So with my theory that Alhaitham is a reincarnation of King Deshret, that would make Kaveh the goddess of flowers, yeah?

That was my initial thought too, until I looked deeper and found the mirrors.

Mirror symbolism is extremely important to Alhaithams character. He is literally named after a prolific contributor to our understanding of vision, optics and light— Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, born around a thousand years ago in present day Iraq. Alhaithams elemental skill and burst involve mirrors of dendro energy, which fly off and bounce off of each other when his burst is activated, much alike to how light bounces off a mirror.

Alhaithams character story lines mention that despite their seemingly tedious relationship, he really respects Kaveh and his intellect. Kaveh helps Alhaitham to look outside of his comfort zone, and Alhaitham helps keep Kaveh’s feet on the ground. He says they are excellent mirrors of one another, and takes their relationship as an opportunity to observe and learn things that he never might have without him.

Here’s where my blatant romanticism comes out to play. What if Kaveh is not the goddess of flowers, but the reincarnation of King Deshret himself? What if the two deities wanted to be reincarnated as perfect mirrors of one another, while still retaining qualities the other loved so dearly?

KD was very clearly an architect himself, the ruins and buildings of the desert are no small feat, which is what drew me to the idea that perhaps Kaveh is the king. Kaveh is an extremely skilled architect, literally known as the ‘light’ of his darshan. KD naturally would retain that love and devotion for aesthetics in design. But he loved the goddess of flowers, so why not reincarnate as someone she might love? Someone thoughtful and emotional, someone who cares, someone beautiful and full of life.

The goddess of flowers loved KD as well, for his undying will in his search for truth, for his strength, intelligence and ability to lead. Hell, she sacrificed herself just so he could get closer to his goal. But of course, she’d not be able to be rid of some of that care-free nature, that free will that lead her followers to love her so, hence her reincarnation into someone that Deshret would have loved, a person who dedicates their entire being to the truth, to the pursuit of knowledge, even if that means seeming self absorbed in the eyes of others (when in reality he’s only going to put effort into what is interesting to him, such is his own use of that free will.)

The GoF still roams the sands for her love, even though she’s not a fan of the sands that destroyed her in the first place, (Alhaithams ascension materials are found deep within desert caverns, “*tsk* there’s sand in my shoes”

And the mourning king still searches for his flowers that represent the love he lost so long ago. (KAVEHS ASCENSION MATS ARE MOURNING FLOWERS????)

Of course, this theory may change and grow as we learn more about Kaveh, as at the time i am writing this, he is still locked away in Hoyo’s basement. But rest assured, as soon as i get my hands on him i will take another deep dive into the lore behind these two morons, and we can further discover how connected they really are.